148 



Mr. Synar. Mr. Frampton. 



STATEMENT OF GEORGE T. FRAMPTON, ASSISTANT SEC- 

 RETARY FOR FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS, U.S. DEPART- 

 MENT OF THE INTERIOR, ACCOMPANIED BY WHXIAM C. 

 MALM, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, FORT COLLINS, CO; JOHN 

 P. CHRISTIANO, CHBEF, AHl QUALITY DD7ISION, DENVER, CO; 

 AND MOLLY N. ROSS, SPECIAL ASSISTANT, OFFICE OF THE 

 ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FISH, WILDLIFE AND PARKS 



Mr. FRAMPTON. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Synar. Where is your uniform? I thought you all had to wear 

 uniforms. 



Mr. Frampton. Only Park Service professional employees and 

 the Director, Mr. Chairman. 



You will notice, I think Dr. Fenn is here behind me in uniform. 



I appreciate the opportunity to testify about the activities of the 

 Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service regarding air qual- 

 ity in national parks and wilderness areas. Unlike Administrator 

 Nichols, I don't come before you as an expert on these issues, but 

 I thougnt it was very important for me to represent the Depart- 

 ment here for two reasons really. 



First is to renew the commitment that Secretary Babbitt began 

 as a private citizen in pushing for stronger provisions in the Clean 

 Air Act to improve the PSD and visibility protection programs, and 

 to make it clear that he really is committed, determined to bring 

 an ecosystem approach to the protection of parks and refuges and 

 that we recognize that air quality issues, air pollution issues are 

 an increasingly important part of those ecosystems because they af- 

 fect all the resources, and in addition to the natural resources, 

 human health as well. 



I am sure if you have been to the Shenandoah recently, you have 

 seen these signs, which perhaps are more appropriate for southern 

 California, warning people about ozone concentrations and indicat- 

 ing the air quality index for the day, and you may have picked up 

 one of these handouts for visitors to Shenandoan National Park 

 which warns that if the ozone rating today is unhealthy, you may 

 wish to refrain from strenuous physical exercise in the park. 



[Copies of the sign and handout can be found in the appendix.] 



Mr. Frampton. People with respiratory ailments should also 

 limit their exposure by staying indoors, and as you know, Mr. 

 Chairman, there are not a lot of opportunities for that other than 

 staying in your car in the Shenandoah National Park. 



The second reason I want to come here today is really to pay 

 tribute to some very committed people in the National Park Service 

 and the Fish and Wildlife Service, who have been working together 

 for a number of years, and who have worked very hard on these 

 issues, and sometimes under somewhat adverse conditions, and 

 have been very courageous, and to promise that we are going to 

 give them even greater encouragement and support. Congress es- 

 tablished in the law some pretty high standards for resource pro- 

 tection in parks and wilderness areas, including protection from 

 airborne pollutants, but I think it is fair to say in all honesty, that 

 we have only begun to deliver on that promise. 



